Operation Daedalus

The operation Daedalus is since 2004 annual military operation of the Austrian Federal Army for air surveillance during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss town of Davos . During the meeting, a no-fly zone with a radius of 46 kilometers will be set up around the place , which the armed forces will monitor on Austrian territory (the Swiss Air Force will monitor the area over Switzerland and Liechtenstein ). This measure primarily serves to protect the meeting from terrorist attacks and in Austria comprises around two thirds of the airspace over the state of Vorarlberg and over small parts in the far west of Tyrol .

Scope and implementation

Radar device at Hohenems airfield as part of Dädalus 12

As part of Operation Daedalus, the Austrian Armed Forces have an agreement with the Swiss Confederation to ensure the enforcement of the no-fly zone in Austrian airspace. This is not a complete blockage of the airspace for civil aviation , but a restriction. Aircraft can continue to fly through the 46-kilometer zone around Davos with the permission of the Armed Forces; those without a permit will be intercepted by the Austrian air forces and escorted out of the zone.

In order to be able to carry out air surveillance, the armed forces are relocating numerous troops and technical equipment to Vorarlberg for the duration of Operation Dädalus. Mobile radar systems of the armed forces are being set up at five different locations in Vorarlberg, one location at the Hohenems-Dornbirn airfield in the Rhine Valley and the other in elevated positions.

In addition, air force aircraft are being relocated to Vorarlberg or Tyrol ( Innsbruck Airport ). These also include Eurofighter Typhoon , Saab 105 and Pilatus PC-7 aircraft as well as Bell OH-58 and Blackhawk helicopters. The operations center for Operation Daedalus is located in the base room operations center , a bunker in St. Johann im Pongau . The majority of the troops relocated to Vorarlberg find accommodation in the Walgau barracks for the duration of the operation .

Web links

• Daedalus 2012 - protective umbrella for Davos . Article on doppeladler.com
• Ernest F. Enzelsberger: Federal Army secures airspace for Davos World Economic Forum . In: Der Soldat , issue No. 3/2011 from February 9, 2011.

Individual evidence

1. ^ ORF Vorarlberg: Airspace over Vorarlberg blocked . Article of January 24, 2012.